


Dizzy On the Comedown

by nobetterlove



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Origin Story, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Awesome Jarvis (Iron Man movies), Blood and Injury, Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, Eventual Smut, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:08:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24061870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nobetterlove/pseuds/nobetterlove
Summary: What if Tony Stark didn't become Iron Man in the bowels of the desert? Instead, the hero is created in the comfort of Tony's own home.A presentation at NYU has Tony critically injured. Peter Parker, NYC's Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, with the help of Jarvis, saves him. The two foster an easy partnership to give birth to the Iron Man suit and take on SI's biggest threat - Obadiah Stane.
Relationships: Peter Parker/Tony Stark
Comments: 4
Kudos: 112





	Dizzy On the Comedown

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! 
> 
> My husband and I are watching the MCU movies in chronological order and the OG Iron Man was great inspiration. Excuse the choppy medical procedure that takes place and assume that Peter Parker is an ultra genius and can complete such a task. 
> 
> The prospect of something else fueling Tony's fire to become Iron Man was too hard to pass up - here's hoping you enjoy!

“Tony! We’re going to be late again, and Pepper is going to have my ass.”

The sound of Happy Hogan’s voice radiated around the house, all of the glass walls seemingly absorbing the noise, making it echo. Tony shook his head and kept his hands tight around the controller in his hands – he’d been on the cusp of a breakthrough for the past half an hour. His hands were too big to reconstruct the piece himself, so he’d been working with Dum-E’s interactive setting, the robot’s abilities were few and far between, despite being almost twenty years old. He finally got one of the clasps around the lug nut, a triumphant smile on his face when all of the sudden, the door to his lab was slammed open. His thumb moved a minuscule amount and dropped the piece –concentration completely shot now that he’d have to fuck around with it for another half an hour to get back to where he’d been. Brown eyes were angry when they looked up, Happy’s shit eating grin making him fume even more. “I was so fucking close, Hap! What the fuck are we late for, anyway? I thought I didn’t have anything until the NYU speech,” Tony spoke while he walked around the tech in front of him, eyes critical.

“This is the NYU speech, sir,” Happy responded calmly, that grin still settled firmly across his lips. Tony remembered when Happy would stutter around him, the bigger man nervous to be working with him, nervous to be placed in such a high-powered job only a few weeks of being a part of the Stark Industries team. When he stepped in front of an errant punch aimed for one Tony Stark – the promotion shouldn’t have been surprising. That was years ago, though – Happy grew out of the nervousness and could handle Tony better than anyone else. Well, aside from Pepper, but was a force of nature on her own.

“Is that right? Must mean it’s Wednesday.” Tony shook his head, his eyes roaming back to the piece of tech in front of him. He’d been trying to successfully update the innerworkings of this weapon line since Monday morning. All of his work seemed to be for nothing – there’d been very little progress made. He quickly wiped his hands on one of the grease towels lying about, his head in a billion different directions. Now that his focus was shifting, Tony tried to recall what he’d been told to talk about in front of all of NYU’s engineering students – his latest weapon off the table since it wasn’t even close to being finished. Turning to Happy, Tony motioned over his shoulder. “You ready to go? I have this thing, right?” He chuckled at the head shake he got back from Happy, the man striding forward until he could reach out, his thumb brushing against the middle of Tony’s forehead. “Take a shower, hot shot. You’ve got grease all over your face.” He pulled his hand away to show the black fluid on his finger. “I’m leaving your ass in ten, Stark.”

With a one fingered gesture over his shoulder, Tony took off up the stairs and down the hall. He’d make Happy wait 11 minutes just to see what the other man would do. Stripping off his clothes, Tony made quick work of the shower, his own personally made soap doing wonders for the grease stains all over his face, hands, and arms. It’d probably been longer than 24 hours since the last time he’d taken a shower – the water felt almost too good running down the lengths of his skin. A part of him wanted to wrap a hand around himself and stroke off to let off a little steam – but the thought of Happy Hogan banging on his door effectively reduced anything that was trying to rise – and the shower was over. A quick perusal of his wardrobe had Tony settling on a jet-black Armani suit with Stark Industry cuff links to finish off the look. To the media, he was rich kid Tony Stark – they expected him to look good.

12 minutes later found Tony slipping into the front seat of his Audi – Happy rolling his eyes at him, the man tapping on his watch. “Pepper is going to kill me, Tony. Me!” Tony shrugged his shoulders and pulled the door closed before Happy could think to do it. “That’s what you get for dating the mastermind behind us all.” He started the car up and sped away then, his hand waving facetiously out the window. Even with this head start, he knew the man would more than likely catch up to him. Happy was a New York native and could remember road maps and short cuts the same way Tony could piece together an entire engine in his head without looking at a singular blueprint or plan once. This cat and mouse game he liked to play with all the people around him gave him joy, no matter how big of an ass it made him seem like.

Like he figured, Tony pulled in right around the same time as Happy – the man’s grin apparent for a moment before he got himself together and got out of the car to meet Tony around the front of his own vehicle. “Almost got you there, Hap,” Tony said, a friendly punch reaching the bigger man’s shoulder. “Almost. It’ll happen for you one day, boss.” Tony clapped his hands and grinned – today was going to be a good day if the banter was starting off this good. He still hadn’t thought much about what he’d say to the group of impressionable young people – Pepper more than likely already wrote a riveting speech, anyway. It never made sense, coming to things like this – he didn’t have a normal college experience. Tony flew through all of the courses at MIT. For the most part, he probably could have taught them himself. Whatever came out of his mouth today – it wouldn’t be relevant for any of these kids. There weren’t many intellectuals that could keep up with him, and if they could, they weren’t standing out in the crowd looking up at him.

Walking carelessly into the building, Tony noticed a huge collection of people gathered together at the front – a whole mass of humans were holding up signs and yelling, though he couldn’t hear what they were saying. It was normal for protestors to show up wherever he was. Being a figurehead in the weapons industry didn’t do him any favors with the people that were dead set against what his company did. They didn’t usually show up to little things like a college campus speech, though – but he knew things were escalating. Things at home and things in places that most people didn’t even know existed. He stood in the hallway for a few minutes and watched – his eyes took in all the people, all the signs slandering his name – his entire life’s work.

They always said publicity was good for business – even if it was the shitty kind.

Happy’s hand wrapping around his shoulder pulled him back, the massive crowd a little hypnotizing after staring at it for so long. “This way, boss. Nothing to see over there.” Tony snorted out a laugh, his body moving out of the captivity of the bigger man’s arm effortlessly. Their steps were the only thing he could hear until they got to the entrance to one of the bigger auditoriums on campus – the doors were open, and the entire room was packed. Between the media and all of the engineering department board members, Tony was surprised there was room for students – all the young faces in the crowd intriguing him. He stood outside the door for another couple of minutes, his eyes roving over the crowd to get a bearing on the amount of people he’d have to win over. The sound of Pepper’s voice introducing him echoed in his ears and when she said his name, he stepped out and walked between the rows of chairs. Tony Stark always made an entrance and today wasn’t any different.

The claps around him were overwhelming for a moment, the sound of it the same as the thumping beat of his heart in his ears – his body’s fight or flight reflex working overtime to decide the next course of action. By the time he made it to the steps that lead to the stage, Tony was in his element – the lock on his control finally done up and clicked closed – the key stuffed into the depths of his pocket where it couldn’t be reached until much, much later. “The great Pepper Potts, everyone,” Tony said into the microphone, his hands clapping as he turned to look at her. She flashed a smile, the woman always prepared for the click of cameras that went off whenever Tony was around. He could see irritation in her eyes, though – his tardiness something she’d never been able to tame, something that always pissed her off whenever it happened – and with Tony Stark, that was always.

Squaring back up to the podium, Tony took a brief glance at the notes waiting there for him. Arc reactor technology? Stark Industries hadn’t thought about that piece of tech since they incorporated it into the building’s energy system – the move done strictly to appease the city. Of all the things they could have asked him to talk about. He shrugged his shoulders and took in a deep breath – his brain already going through what he knew about the damn thing, bringing all the important points to the front where he’d be able to access them. “Arc reactor tech – “ his words were interrupted by a loud bang, the entire building shaking. Tony took a step back from the podium, the man trying to get his balance – brown eyes everywhere, seeking out the exits, looking for Happy and Pep. There wasn’t any time, though – the next bang went off and this time, pieces of the building were staring to fall. Taking a step, Tony was surprised by the next loud noise, this one was directly in the room – all the glass was blown out of the room’s windows, the big white pillars that were so beautifully added to the architecture tumbling to the ground.

He took another couple of steps, the dust from the building collapsing made it very hard to see. The whole situation didn’t make any sense until he was in a clear spot of the room, no dust or rubble there yet – when he looked down, he saw the Stark Industries logo on the explosive that hadn’t detonated yet. His first thought was to run towards it – disable the fucking thing before it could take another piece of the building. Then, his next thought was ‘oh fuck’ – the weapon went off before he could make a decision or move his body any further. When he hit the deck, he felt a searing pain in his chest, a fire consuming him in a way he’d never felt before. He reached down to check, wondering what in the fuck was happening – and the sight of blood staining his fingers had him screaming, the panic only adding to the searing pain.

Before losing consciousness completely, Tony noticed a few figures starting to crowd around him. The blur in his vision made it hard to see clearly, it looked like five of them in one second and the next, there were ten – each person two headed, their words sounding more like echoes than actual consonants and vowels. Blinking, Tony tried to fight the blackness – his sense of self-preservation kicking in, the man not wanting to be a part of anything the quickly multiplying group of people wanted from him. His chest was on fire – the overwhelming way he felt like being consumed by searing heat far more distracting than the men surrounding him, no matter how scared he felt.

Then, a swirl of blue and red flashed in his vision – a spider emblem was the last thing he saw before blackness overtook him.

\----

Peter couldn’t believe how many people were standing at the door waiting to get into Rosenthal Pavilion. Earlier in the week when he’d seen the advertisements for Tony Stark’s speech on arc reactor technology, Peter inwardly freaked out. Ever since researching that specific piece of tech for his senior research project, he’d been a little bit obsessed with it. Not just the tech, of course. The now 21-year-old could remember a day when the mere mention of Tony Stark could get him off. Being a nerdy kid with a head full of ideas and thoughts no one else really understood, a person like Tony Stark was like a mecca. The man was not only gorgeous as fucking sin, he was smart – he developed a weapon monopoly in the few years of having complete control over Stark Industries. That didn’t come from being the only person making weapons, either. Tony Stark was the best in the business – his mind unparalleled. For Peter, the thought of someone bringing themselves success with just their brain was a great selling point.

Of course, all of his thoughts of personal inadequacies were long before being bitten by a radioactive spider. The things that little mishap brought Peter relinquished any negative thoughts he ever allowed himself about his abilities. Now, they were something he could use for good. He could keep people in his hometown safe – even if that meant soaring around the city in a silly onesie with a big spider emblem on his chest. Over the past few years of his servitude, the public took to calling him Spider-Man – the name had a good ring to it, so he never fought against it. The YouTube videos he saw on the internet were always flattering and didn’t come close to fucking with his secret identity. For the most part, saving the day by night and acing college during the day was working out pretty well.

Now, he could honestly say his biggest interest in Tony Stark came from all of the amazing technology he continued to develop – and all of his previous pieces, too. The arc reactor had so much potential. If they could neutralize the toxic effect of palladium, there’d be so many uses – so many things that could instantly be possible. It didn’t matter how long he needed to stand in line, Peter wanted to hear more about the technology, more from the very person whose brilliant mind created the original design. Peter stood in the massive clump of people for a few more minutes – then suddenly realized the crowd he was in hadn’t gathered to gain entrance into the auditorium.

The fourth set of people tipped him off, the entire group looking towards where he stood with a mixture of fear and disdain. Taking a couple steps back, the anti-SI posters were everywhere – the entire crowd was waving something with derogatory terms or threats. The people looked mad, too. Almost like the ravenous hyenas surrounding Simba in the elephant graveyard. Sucking in a breath, Peter forced his feet to move, the suddenness of his senses being overwhelmed almost knocking him to his knees. He managed to get away from the crowd without freaking out – his spidey senses were tingling all over the place, the feeling now familiar as an ache in his joints – today, his knee specifically.

On alert now, Peter entered the building, his eyes scanning everywhere he could without standing out. The ache in his knee throbbed the closer he got to the doors of the auditorium. The entire thing was surrounded by glass windows making the space look bigger – the wanted aesthetic was obviously achieved, though Peter doubted the effectiveness of its acoustics as a lecture hall. He took an open seat towards the back of the room and continued to scan the place. There was something coming, something he could feel in the deep part of his bones – if only he knew how, or when, or where it’d be coming from. A few minutes passed without Peter noticing much of anything, the room was starting to fill up and the ease of staring was no longer there.

Glancing at his watch, Peter grimaced a bit – the talk was supposed to start any minute now, the tension of the crowd was starting to feel palpable. People were looking over their shoulders to catch a glimpse of the door – the rumored about theatrics of one Tony Stark obviously yearned for by the crowd. Or maybe they were just irritated and tired of waiting – Peter couldn’t decide which side of the line he fell on, either. As the minutes passed, the ache in his knee started to travel down into his ankle – the throb distracting and hard to deal with. His skin started to prickle, too – his entire body alert, waiting, waiting – waiting for what, he still wasn’t sure.

When the man of the hour finally strolled in, Peter couldn’t help the smile that spread on his face – even if the man made people wait for more than ten minutes, he was still damn fine and smoother than butter. The suit he wore looked amazing, the black of the fabric making the pale skin on his face and hands stand out. The perfectly manicured facial hair would’ve made Peter laugh if it didn’t look as good as it did. Evidently, the 18-year-old in Peter still wasn’t over the way Tony Stark could work a crowd, or the look on his face when met with applause. So, maybe the crush hadn’t faded so much as evolved – grown with him as he matured and figured out his way in life, his likes and dislikes. He felt glad for once he’d listened to his instincts – the mere vision of him was worth it.

The thought went right out the window no less than a minute later. The first boom came from the front of the building – Peter’s body turning towards it on instinct. He watched the front of the room become no more, than a second later turned to watch the left side of the space start to smoke. Reacting quickly, Peter jumped out of his seat and started to usher people out of the row. Smoke was starting to collect in the room making it hard to see – luckily, his eyes were much better than others. He got as many people out as he could before running into the smoke – his hands making fast work of his t-shirt and jeans, the instinct to wear the suit earlier something he felt glad for now. Slamming the mask over his face, Peter secured the web shooters to his wrist and shot the fluid towards the ceiling. He used his momentum to swing over to the stage, his eyes trained on Tony Stark.

Peter could barely make him out, his eyes finally finding him a couple feet down the first row. He watched as the man made his way towards the exit disoriented and when he stopped, Peter wanted to shout. He moved to stick a web on the beam right by Tony’s head, but didn’t get that far. A blinking red light and the slight hissing sound caught his attention. It seemed that Tony saw the explosive right around the same time. A sound left his throat when the explosive detonated, Peter helplessly watching from his spot at the back of the room as the great Tony Stark flew back, raised a hand in front of his face, and let out a gruff noise. The man was on the ground the next time Peter could see through the lingering blast of smoke. Surprisingly, there were several people starting to surround them, each one wearing a gas mask – their faces completely hidden. Whatever the fuck was going on, Peter knew he needed to get Tony Stark out of there – right that second.

He couldn’t say what compelled him to swing down and grab the man. The blast put him down on the ground, Peter figured if he didn’t get him out of there – Tony would either die on the carpet bleeding out or in the hands of people that did not mean him any good. Gathering him in his arms took a bit of coordination and when he moved him even slightly, Peter could hear moans escaping the unconscious man. For the first time, Peter did not stay behind to fight. The massive amount of smoke in the building made it hard to see and the blood he could feel staining the arm of his suit was starting to become a little concerning. Without another thought, Peter got them both out of the building and away from the commotion.

The weight of swinging with someone else in his arms took a second to get used to. In all the time having the powers, he’d never had to carry another person or accommodate any other weight other than his own. The web fluid design was created with his mass in mind – the chemical formula perfect down to the very gram. By the time he got them to the Stark residence, Peter was beyond tired and completely out of his web fluid – he needed twice the amount to get them both through the swing. Why he thought listening to the mumbled ‘no hospitals’ he heard when he started to talk the unconscious Tony Stark through getting to the hospital was a good idea went way beyond him. Landing by front of the door, he lightly placed Tony on the ground – the man’s shirt completely covered in blood now, his face the palest shade of white he’d ever seen on a person. Peter’s blood covered hand tried the door – but it wouldn’t budge.

Turning back towards the unconscious man, Peter started to panic – he could hear the erratic thump-thump of his heartbeat and immediately felt distracted. He kneeled down and ran a hand over Tony’s pale face – the lack of life there so terribly discerning. “Get him down to the lab, sir. His vitals seem to be rapidly declining,” Peter heard, his head snapping up in the direction of the voice. “What the fuck?” he questioned, his tone scared, filled with doubt and excitement. “I’m Jarvis, sir. I’ve done a scan on Mr. Stark and he needs to be moved. Immediately. I’ll get the door, please get him down to the lab.” As the last words were sounding, Peter watched the door open, the glass moving until there was enough room for the both of them to fit through the frame.

Shaking his head, Peter collected the man in his arms and carried him in. “Where’s the lab, Jarvis? Where do I go?” Peter asked, his eyes roaming all over the place. “Down the stairs. There’s a table in the middle of the lab – place him there.” The younger man could do nothing but listen to whatever thing was helping him and moved further into the house. Down the stairs, Peter could see the coolest lab he’d ever laid eyes on. The space was huge, easily taking up a good majority of Tony’s place. The walls were solid glass and he could already see the start of a few projects scattered at the different workstations. The table became apparent when he got further into the lab. He gently set Tony down on it – his eyes once again roaming all over the place, trying to take in as much as he could and orient himself.

“There is shrapnel all throughout the chest cavity. That will need to be removed.” Peter heard Jarvis again, his ears prickling at the thought of what had been said. “Removed? How do I do that? I’m not a surgeon – I barely remember to wash my hands after I pee!” Peter exclaimed, his hands clenching and unclenching down by his sides. All of the sudden, a screen at the nearest workstation lit up – “simply touch the design to make it multi-dimensional.” Jarvis spoke like he knew what the hell that meant, but he wandered over regardless – his heart beating hard against his chest. Many different things were coursing through his brain, and the thought of fucking with Tony Stark’s tech was one of the last things on that list. He did what he was told, though – his eyes widening when he was able to pull up the instructions for opening the chest cavity and cleaning out wounds. He glanced over them a few times – then set to work.

What the fuck did he know about any of this?

By the time Peter resurfaced, he’d been inside Tony’s chest cavity – and his vitals seemed to finally be settling down. Getting Tony set up on a drip was the easiest part of the whole ordeal. He’d then followed along as Jarvis led him through the process – but there were still pieces floating around the heart and those needed to be taken care of. “Jarvis, what now? Do you have the schematics for how to make an electromagnet that will keep the shrapnel from getting into his heart?” Peter asked the question jokingly, his tone severe – his entire life turned on its side at this point. When the AI answered him, Peter almost chocked – his dry throat suddenly feeling constricting. “The arc reactor technology would suffice. I’ll pull them up now.”

Stepping into Rosenthal Pavilion earlier that day, Peter never imagined this would be its ending. He’d been hands deep inside a man he’d never met and reproduced said man’s technology in his very own lab – all to save his life. He needed Tony stabilized first – so he went through the steps of making the base of the electromagnet and hooked it up the charges of the car battery he yanked out of the roadster Tony was obviously working on remodeling. Then Jarvis led him through the steps of creating the arc reactor – the voice guiding him around the lab, giving him access to files and opening cabinets. After 12 hours, Peter was both surprised that was he still moving and that no one thought to look or follow him to Stark’s place of residence. He wondered, not for the first time, who the group was trying to get to Tony before he swooped in. What did they want if they weren’t willing to follow the target they were supposed to collect – but would bomb the building he was in just to get to him?

Peter didn’t have any time to celebrate his successful creation of the arc reactor. Putting the finishing pieces together, he felt himself smiling – after all of his obsessing, he held a working arc reactor in his hands. The palladium in the core would be toxic and it would need to be changed – but it would serve the purpose of saving Tony’s life, maybe extending it indefinitely if he could find a way to not be poisoned by the toxic chemical powering the thing. A brain like Tony Stark could figure out an alternative, though – especially if his life depended on it. Disconnecting the battery, Peter made quick work of getting the arc reactor into Tony’s chest – his fingers shaking the entire time, the immensity of the situation tangible in the room.

A huge feeling of relief washed over him when Tony’s stats started to even out – the man was looking much less pale, much less on the verge of death. Peter felt himself slide down the glass wall closest to him. What the actual fuck, he thought – his hands were shaking and if he let himself think too hard on it, he’d probably scream. A part of him wondered what a hospital would have done – if they would have even been able to save him in the same way Peter did. He wanted to think making a huge hole in the man’s chest was the best practice of saving him – but another, bigger part thought that maybe he should’ve let the doctors handle it. His frame of mind was not sound and the argument with himself seemed pointless. At least the guy was alive – at least he could carry on another day without being in the hands of people that obviously didn’t have any issues with chaos. Sucking in a breath, Peter let his head rest against the glass – what in the actual fuck?

\----

The first thing that hit Tony coming to was the pain. His entire chest felt like it’d been pitted, dug into, and reorganized. The overwhelming cotton mouth hit him next – his tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth and when he managed to detach it, it stuck to his bottom teeth instead. He would never claim the whimper that left his mouth, the pathetic nature of it hitting his ears and radiating within. Upon further exploration, Tony found himself to be weaker than he could ever remember feeling – all of his limbs felt like sandbags, weighed down by a loss of blood. All of the essential electrolytes in his system were sorely lacking. Rolling ever so slightly, Tony let out a huge gasp of air, the pain he felt upon first awakening doubling in magnitude. “What the fuck?” he heard himself saying, his hand moving until he could feel around on his chest – the last thing he remembered was the blood, all of that fucking blood.

His fingers coming into contact with something solid and seemingly connected to him was not what Tony was expecting. This time, the scream didn’t sound real – his brain was disconnected to everything but the solid mass dead center in his chest. He scrabbled at it, weak digits climbing over the – what the fuck – metal? Panic flashed across the front of his brain, the feeling prickly and gross, overwhelming in all the worst ways. Tony sucked in a breath, his already achy chest starting to feel like it was closing in on him. Foreign fingers gripping his wrist made him shout again, his eyes huge when he turned to see the same blue and red he remembered from earlier. The colors flashed right before his eyes and then he couldn’t remember anything – nothing but pain and blackness. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Tony heard the masked figure say, the hand on his wrist steady and firm, poised to take further measures if needed. “What – what did you do to me?” Tony asked, his throat so dry, the voice coming from his throat almost unrecognizable. “I saved your life. That arc reactor tech is amazing, Mr. Stark. And Jarvis is the coolest thing I’ve ever interacted with.” Tony looked at the masked face hopelessly – “What? The arc reactor? What in the fuck happened?” Tony was delirious, he knew it, how else could this be happening? Maybe he died when that blast hit him, maybe this was what his fucked-up version of hell looked like.

“Mr. Stark. Sir. You were giving a speech at NYU. The building was blown up. You were hit. There was so much shrapnel and well – Jarvis and I did the best that we could. You told me no hospitals and there were people gathering around you – people that didn’t look like they were going to be asking for an autograph anytime soon.” Spider-Man said, Tony recognizing the symbol on the person’s chest now that he felt a little more with it. There were so many things going on, so many things to process all at once – but the thought of anyone other than himself putting together that arc reactor made his head spin. He could even come to terms with people trying to kidnap him. That didn’t seem like that far-fetched of an idea. “Jarvis? What’s up, buddy?” The man spider in front of him mentioned Jarvis, how the hell did that happen? “Mr. Stark – our masked friend saved your life. I guided him through the arc reactor schematics – the Spider-Man is very proficient.” Jarvis responded promptly – his matter of fact way of things for once making Tony’s head spin further. “Who are you?” Tony tried again, his brain in overload.

The masked man said nothing and made his way across the lab. Before leaving, Tony saw him turn around – the ill-fitting mask moving slightly. “I’m Spider-Man, Mr. Stark. Glad you’re not dead.” Then, he was gone. Tony kept himself completely still, his body aching, the IV in his arm doing nothing for the dehydrated feeling. He needed to look over the schematics Jarvis gave to his mysterious savior and make sure he wasn’t going to die in the near future. Then – well, then he needed to catch a spider.

\----

Tony didn’t get around to anything for a while. Fatigue pulled him under a couple times over the next 15 hours, his body obviously needing to heal before he would be able to do anything. When he asked Jarvis about Happy and Pepper, the AI dutifully reported that both were fine, though completely incapacitated in their own hospital rooms. No other human person on the planet would be looking for him, so he relaxed into the table and let whatever the masked crusader put in the bag do its work. The fact that some of the things he could see scattered all over the place existed in his lab was surprising. He couldn’t remember the last time he stocked the place himself and wondered who had the mind to put emergency medical supplies in there. Whoever it was needed a raise and maybe a medal for great forethought. The fact that a bottle of water was within his reach when Tony felt well enough to roll around and fend for himself was another happy surprise. He felt a bit more human when the crusty feeling finally left his mouth.

A quick scan of the lab showed that hours of work had been done. There were tools all over the place – a hectic collaboration of a few things that didn’t even make sense together. Tony noticed the distinct lack of blood, though – and felt himself thanking the masked man for the first time since coming to who knows how long ago. The stranger even left the holoscreen on, the old schematics of the arc reactor floating there innocently – like they were just blueprints waiting to be worked on, not life-saving parts and pieces. Just by looking at them, he could see the person made a few notes, the unfamiliar scrawl catching his eye immediately. Whoever the person was, they were both smart and seemingly just as out of their head as Tony was. He needed to know who this person was. If they were able to read his schematics and make improvements to them – they must be smart, as smart if not smarter than Tony himself.

“Jarvis, run a scan – what kind of damage am I looking at?” Tony finally felt energized enough to tackle some of this. With Jarvis’s help, he could probably have a few leads on the man spider and a better look at what actually went into his body. “You lost a lot of blood, sir. We were unable to organize a blood transfusion in such a short time. Your electrolyte levels are startling and there is slight swelling around the wound. The Spider-Man did a good job, sir. He was a very apt pair of hands.” If Jarvis had the ability to feel, Tony figured he would’ve heard pride in the AI’s voice. He shook his head, the motion making his muscles ache – reminding him he needed to eat, or drink, or more than likely just sleep on something that wasn’t a metal table. “Wil you cross reference all of the Spider-Man footage and try to pinpoint a location? I believe in you, Jarvis. Find me Spider-Man,” Tony said after a while, his body once again feeling drained, though he knew he needed to get somewhere that wasn’t his lab. A shower would be nice, but he figured that could probably wait.

Tony used the last of his energy to get up the stairs and onto the stupidly uncomfortable couch in his living room. What in the world possessed him to purchase such a piece of shit? Probably the price tag. He never assumed he’d be in the position he was in now, either. Vitally wounded and completely wrecked – too tired to do much other than make sure his chest rose and fell. Sleep claimed him for a while, his dreams feverish – so full of snippets of things he couldn’t remember, of darkness and pressure – always pressure. The next time he came around, the sun was down, and it was completely dark in the house. “Jarvis, hit the lights, will you?” Tony grumbled, his hand moving to hold the muscles in his stomach – every single shift like trying to straighten a rusty nail, agonizing and overtaxing. Little by little, the lights came up, the place just a bit brighter – bright enough to see a blanket had been placed across his shoulders and another water bottle was placed near him. This time, a Chewy bar was there, too.

“Who’d you let in, buddy?” Tony asked, his body allowing him just enough energy usage to grab the water from the table – his mouth parched again, his lips not used to being so puffy and dry. “The Spider-Man came by, sir. He made sure you weren’t feverish and left you sustenance. He also did not reveal his identity when I asked – he seemed adamant about keeping it to himself.” Tony let the words register, a part of him a little freaked out. The masked man had done enough to win over his AI – Jarvis was the closest thing Tony had to family. That meant he had access to Tony, access that if given to the wrong person could be a real issue – the kind that could put his life in even more danger than it already was. On the other hand, if he’d won over Jarvis – he had to be good. Tony was too smart to program code that would stab him in the back. At least, he sincerely hoped so.

“What did you find then, Jarvis? There has to be some cross referencing – something,” Tony muttered, his low energy making it hard to keep his thoughts straight. “There seems to be a stem of activity that seems to source just off of 52nd Street in Queens, New York. There’s a particular bodega on that corner that has the loyal protection of Spider-Man.” The flat screen on the wall suddenly lit up with footage, the same corner in every single video. He couldn’t remember the last time he thought about Queens, let alone tried to go there – so he didn’t recognize the place. That was easily remedied, though – a little nighttime recognizance never hurt anyone. “Send the address to my phone. I’m going to do a little digging of my own.”

Tony ignored the AI’s next words, “But sir, you are still critically injured – perhaps resting another day would be beneficial.” He shook his head, the man completely committed to finding out about his savior, even if that meant following the illusive Spider-Man. Throwing back the entirety of the water, Tony managed to get himself up off the couch – the Chewy bar stuck fast between his lips. He still ached – there wasn’t any denying that. His entire trunk felt like it’d been split in half – but at the same time, he felt… okay. There was a huge part of him that felt a little weary about getting comfortable with this okay feeling, but at the moment – it certainly beat the alternative. Slowly waddling into his bedroom, Tony got himself to the en suite where he proceeded to splash some water on his face and brush his teeth – now that he didn’t feel like death, he wanted to freshen up. He didn’t know much about how the arc reactor would react with water, so he bypassed a shower – the water on his face just enough, anyway. At least now he felt a little better.

He stared down at his chest when he managed to get his shirt off. The glow of the reactor was the first thing to catch his eye. At least he’d never have to worry about getting dressed in the dark again. It cast light out a couple feet in front of him, like a beacon or something. The skin around it was very red, so red in fact that it he wasn’t surprised by the amount of pain he was. There were several patches of white gauze taped to his chest – some of them stained with remnants of blood – the fact that he was still healing very evident, very much there. Slamming his eyes shut for a second, Tony let a swell of nausea pass over him. How the fuck had so much changed in such a short period of time? And now that it had – what was he going to do? There was someone after him, the very someone that decided to blow up the building he was in… with his very explosives. No matter what – he needed to track down Spider-Man, find out who the masked stranger was, and enlist him. Whatever they were facing, Tony figured having an ally that was smart – so fucking smart – wasn’t the worst deal.

Changing into clean clothes took a bit longer than he imagined it would, but finally – Tony was dressed in black sweatpants and a hoodie, a hat slung low over his eyes. The Audi was somewhere in the rubble of the NYU building he’d been in and his Roadster was picked apart – Tony had a strange feeling that the battery powered the electromagnet inside him for a short period of time, but he tried not think too hard about that. Happy would shit himself if he saw Tony slipping behind the wheel of the Durango. It was low key, though, and would fit in better than anything else in his garage. He’d make it up to Happy later if anything happened to the car.

This was simply an information gathering exercise, anyway. Tony lacked the ability to run anyone down, even if he wanted to. He felt a little fuzzy getting behind the wheel, his limbs so stupidly heavy. He had Jarvis direct him to the address through his phone, the drive surprisingly easy for having to cross the bridge. By the time he pulled up, it was much later in the evening – no hints of bright sky or light anywhere in sight. Tony’s body reluctantly let him slide down in his seat slightly – his muscles protesting every second he was in that position. He sat back and watched, hoping for once that his lucky would actually win out.

\----

Peter watched an SUV pull up outside of Del Mar’s bodega and frowned. He managed to keep most of the trouble away from Del Mar’s place. His soft spot for the man and all the faith he had in Peter growing up made sure everyone knew Spider-Man protected the place. From his vantage point on the roof of the building across the street, he couldn’t see much other than the one person driving the car. Stepping down the stairs on the side of the building as quietly as he could, Peter got a closer look at the driver of the car and almost let go of the ladder. He recovered quickly, his quick reflexes keeping him just barely upright. It was silly, thinking he’d be able to hide from Tony Stark. From here he could see how pale the man was – the extra energy it took to get behind the wheel and drive all the way out here was way more than the man could afford so shortly after a huge trauma. Shaking his head, Peter made a split-second decision.

When he stopped in earlier that day to check in on Mr. Stark, he almost stopped short when Jarvis asked him who he was. The AI went on to say Tony requested he gather information on Spider-Man and wanted to see if he would simply tell instead. He snorted, entertained by the blunt lack of humanity that question portrayed. He’d been successfully hiding his identity for three years now – what would it even be like to have someone else know who he was, what he did on a nightly basis, how stressful it could be? “You’ll have to try and find out yourself, Jarvis. If Tony is as smart as he makes himself out to be, it won’t be too hard.” Peter hated having to play coy – but he wasn’t sure yet. He didn’t know how much he wanted to trust the man.

That seemed silly after how intimate he was with the man’s insides, after how much care he took to make sure Tony Stark got to see the world another day. He was used to being in it by himself, though. For three years it was him and him alone – stopping thieves and pick pockets, keeping the young kids and women safe. For the most part, he did okay on his own. Maybe having someone on his side wouldn’t be the worst thing, though – maybe having the smartest man in the world on his team could be of some benefit.

He made sure to leave water and something light for the man to eat when he came to again – his study of the body telling him the fact that he didn’t get blood during the entire ordeal probably wasn’t the best for his health. He’d need to replenish, and fluids would help with that. Peter honestly didn’t think he’d see any sign of Tony Stark for at least one more day – he hoped, at least. Yet, when he recognized the manicured goatee, he wasn’t all that surprised, either. From the very brief encounter he had with the man, it was easy to see how much conviction he did everything with – if he had enough strength, Peter knew Tony would have chased him out of the lab, still demanding to know who he was. Internal decision made, Pete climbed down the stairs he’d been perched on and made his way over to the car. Reaching out, he tapped on the passenger side window – the move obviously surprising the fuck out of the man in the car. He watched with a smile as Tony startled and grabbed his chest, the injury still so obviously tender. Peter laughed when recognition washed over Stark’s face, his hands moving to press the lock button to open the door for his friend, Spider-Man.

Climbing into the car, Peter settled into the seat, a heavy sigh leaving his lips. Not for the first time that evening, he was glad to have his face covered – at least for now. Something told him he would have a hard steeling his expression around Tony. The man seemed like the type who could pull just about anything he wanted from a person. “Please, Mr. Stark. Start the car and drive somewhere other than Del Mar’s – people would recognize my face around here,” Peter said, the words sounding final to his ears. He felt the mood in the car shift and heard an audible sigh leave Tony’s lips. “You got it. We can go back to my place – Jarvis is a good watch dog,” Tony replied, the man sluggishly moving to get the car started and back on the road. They didn’t talk on the drive over – Peter watched Tony fiddle his fingers on the steering wheel and readjust his position in the seat a few times, but the man never once tried to engage him in conversation. The great Tony Stark speechless, who would have thought?

They pulled into the now recognizable garage just off the lab in no time at all. Peter watched Tony relax back into the seat and take a heavy breath. Too much activity, he thought – this stubborn man bound to hurt himself if someone didn’t step in. Peter took the matter into his own hands and got out of the car, his feet carrying him into the lab. He already felt at home there and could easily visualize where all the tools came from. His work from a few nights ago was still scattered around, Tony obviously still not up for much. He sat confidently in one of the spinney chairs from a workspace, straddling the back with a leg on either side. Peter waited for Tony to join him before tugging off his mask, the lights in the lab a little bright for a second before he got adjusted to them. “I’m Peter Parker.”

Peter was surprised by himself, when he got out of the car, he didn’t have a plan of attack. He meant to tell Tony who he was, he just didn’t think he’d just – blurt it out like that. Now that it was out in the open, though – it felt kind of nice. Tony didn’t miss a beat, either – he simply closed the distance between them and held out a hand – “It’s nice to meet you, Peter Parker. I’m Tony Stark. Thank you for saving my life.” His hand was warm when Peter caught it in his own. That was surprising considering how pale Tony still looked, but maybe the guy was naturally warm – the handsome human practically radiating a certain kind of heat. “You invented it and had all the supplies. I just put the thing together,” Peter answered, his hands coming up in mock surrender. He watched Tony grab a matching spinney chair and sit down heavily – a look of relief flashing across his face. “The fact that you even knew anything about that is amazing. Is that why you were at my speech that day? Big fan of the arc reactor?”

“I am, actually. I did some pretty extensive research on it in high school, and I’ve used every opportunity since then to look into it more and more. You hit a gold mine with it, sir. What’s in your chest – it’ll power you for a long time. Well, when you figure out what you’re going to do about the palladium.” Pete shrugged, his lips twitching when he saw Tony chuckle and try to hide it behind a well-timed nose wipe. “You were looking at this shit in high school? No wonder. What’s a genius like you doing at NYU? I bet MIT would have taken you in a minute.” Tony tilted his head curiously at him, eyes alight for the first time all evening. “I got in – they just didn’t give me enough money to make it worth going. I got a full ride to NYU. You can’t beat free school, Mr. Stark.” Peter shrugged, and he was being 100% truthful, too. In a few short months, he’d have a bachelor’s degree and be one step closer to getting his dream job – though, he might be closer now than he’d ever been before.

“You saved my life, Pete. You can cut the Mr. Stark shit. Tony’s good.” He wanted to laugh; he could feel the bubble of it slowly making its way up. A part of him liked the way it made Tony’s jaw clench when he said it – like it hurt, how nice it felt to hear that. “You got it, Tony.” Peter replied instead. He’d keep that other knowledge in his pocket for a rainy day. He got the feeling this wouldn’t be the only time he’d be here, sitting in the lab with Tony Stark sitting across from him. And he was proven right not a minute later. “I could use someone like you. Around here, I mean. I checked out a few of the adjustments you made and there are so many things we could do with the energy from this thing. I want to make a suit – find a way to make it interactive with Jarvis and powered by the arc reactor. I bet we could find a way to make it stable – really harness the energy. What do you say? I’ll make you a suit, too. Upgrade you a little bit, Spidey-Boy.”

Pete’s mouth felt dry for a second, all of the ideas and request in those brief statements rattling around, each one trying to settle in and get comfortable. He would absolutely like access to this lab, there was no doubting that. The thought of a new suit wasn’t that horrible, either. The googles he’d washed out to obscure his senses a bit were starting to scratch – the lens getting harder and harder to see out of every day. And it only made sense – to help Tony create something he could use to protect himself. There were obviously people after him – people that weren’t opposed to causing chaos. One of the things that always intrigued him about the arc reactor was all the possibilities that could come from it and the idea of exploring them – he honestly couldn’t say he wanted to miss out on that, either. Rolling his shoulders, he nodded – making sure to catch Tony’s eye. “Alright, I’m in. Especially if you’re going to make me a suit. I could use something a little better than the pool goggles,” Peter replied after a while, a smile on his face mirrored in the quirk of Tony’s lips across from him.

“I’m looking forward to working with you, Spider-Man,” Tony said excitedly, his arm wrapping around Peter in a weak side armed hug.

\----

And man was he. Tony couldn’t remember having more fun in the lab than he did with Peter. As the days passed, Tony got stronger and stronger – the man actually eating at regular intervals and getting sleep. His body screamed for rest and he knew the only way to be on top of his game was to give into it. The days were spent between the comfort of his bed and the ease of the lab. They put together a much more stable arc reactor and replaced the initial prototype. They kept Peter’s original work on the lab table between them, each referencing it whenever they discussed a new adjustment or a replacement to one of the existing pieces. When they came to a consensus, the unit they installed in Tony’s chest was high functioning and could power the suit they were aiming to create.

Pepper and Happy were released from the hospital about two weeks after the initial incident and insisted on knowing everything that happened – the glow in Tony’s chest hard to miss. He explained everything to them, he left out Peter being Spider-Man and little details like that, but they both seemed satisfied by the end of his explanation. The official press statement said that Tony was recovering and would not be conducting any duties for Stark Industries at the moment, which gave him plenty of time to work with Peter to get the suit up and running. The people around him took to Peter with the same ease that he did and instantly welcomed him as Tony’s assistant and personal savior. He felt his cheeks burn a little at that thought – he hadn’t been able to look at the man without a little bit of a hero complex since he saw the face behind the mask. Of course, the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man would be an adorable young man with chestnut eyes and curls. Any time they got close to examine a part of the plan or look at how the lug nuts were lining up – Tony felt himself catching his breath, the closeness between them holding so much unspoken within it. For whatever reason, Tony was more than sure that Peter wanted him just as much as Tony did.

One night in particular stuck out in Tony’s mind – his brain forever stuck on the look in Peter’s eyes, of the taste of his lips. They made a breakthrough on the thrust boosters in the foot portion of the suit. They were both delirious from a lack of sleep and when Tony managed to hover in the air and not eat shit for the first time all night – they were wrapping their arms around each other. Tony sucked in a breath when Peter tucked his head into the gap between his shoulder and neck. In all the time they’d been spending together, they’d never been that close before. He took in another long deep breath – trying to remember the scent of Pure Sport Old Spice and something citrusy. When they let go, Tony fumbled the control and let the right side shut off first, that entire side of his body falling and hitting the ground hard. He luckily got the other boot off before it could carry him one legged around the room. Letting out a groan, he turned onto his back – the air in his lungs caught between the crush of his sternum and the laugh bubbling up into his chest.

Tony saw the worried look on Peter’s face when the guy ran over to him, those long fingers wrapping around his arm – the pads digging in ever so slightly. “You alright, Tony? That was wicked. I can’t believe that worked – we’ll have to work on the bilateral coordination, though. Can’t have you eating shit every time we need to land into action,” Peter mumbled, his fingers absentmindedly running over his exposed shoulder – the touch nice, the feel of Peter’s fingers a lot bit distracting. “I think I just need a couple more runs with it and I’ll have it down. It takes a bit of thought coordination, that’s all.” Tony sat up a little while he spoke, the other man not moving away from him, instead, it felt like Peter was trying to get closer.

“Pete, I uh – “ Tony started to talk, his cheeks red from what was bubbling up in his mouth, the words on the very tip of his tongue. It seemed as if he and Peter were on the same page, though – the other man’s finger pressing against his lips effectively silencing him. “Me too. Can I kiss you?” The question rang in Tony’s ears, the simplicity of it making him stomach clench – Peter was the cutest person on this fucking planet. Brilliant and handy, but so goddamn adorable. Tony felt himself nodding, his entire head leaning into the littlest of touches still there against his lip. He felt his eyes slide shut when Peter leaned forward and closed the distance – their lips sealing together perfectly, like they’d done this a million times before.

With Peter, Tony kind of felt that way about everything – like he’d known the person behind the mask forever. His hand shot up to tangle into Peter’s hair, the locks at the back of his head thick – easy to get his fingers lost in. The curls had been driving him crazy for the past couple of weeks. He noticed it for the first time when Peter walked in with a hat on. There were people starting to notice Tony’s whereabouts again and Peter coming and going was bound to be in the papers some time or another. He wanted to keep his identity on the down low as much as possible, though – so he’d taken to wearing what he called a dad hat, the plainness of it making the other’s hair stand out even more. The fact that it felt like silk under his fingertips only fueled the fire he’d been stoking for weeks now.

The need for oxygen forced them apart – Tony’s brain running haywire, trying to focus on the man in front of him, but his lips were tinging – so many things were happening at once. Peter’s fingers under his chin brought his head up until they were looking into each other’s eyes. “You’ve been driving me crazy for weeks, Stark. You ready to give in, or are we going to keep doing this mutual pining thing? Unresolved sexual tension is no bueno,” Peter’s words were laced with a wide smile, each one ringing in Tony’s ear – the man struggling to remember how the syllables sound there, how he felt when they sunk into his skin and took hold. “Did you just proposition me, Peter Parker?” Tony asked with a laugh, his hand reaching out to palm Peter’s cheek. “You could’ve fucked me weeks ago – why did you wait to be so brash?”

Tony watched Peter get up and then took the hand extended to him. He looped both hands around the slim waist in front of him, his fingers pressing ever so slightly on Peter’s lower back to fill in the space between them. “Just shut up and let’s go to bed, huh?” Peter whispered, his lips just inches away from Tony’s. He filled the gap between them, silently answering Peter’s plea with the press of their lips together. Instead of trying to fumble their way up the stairs and then down the hall, Tony forced himself to pull away completely – his hand grabbing for Peter’s to lead him into the bedroom. The second the door was closed, Peter was on him – the chance to break away from each other was gone, the two of them committing to this by walking through the door together – Tony was a goner, and this was the easiest decision he’d made in years.

They ended up in a tangled heap on the bed, both men shirtless, Tony writhing eagerly under the weight of Peter’s body. Peter’s fingertips were tracing over every inch of Tony’s skin, the feeling pulling moans he’d never heard come out of his mouth before. The touch was exploratory – like Peter was attempting to map all the pieces of him. When those fingers settled on the arc reactor, Tony glanced up – his eyes hazy, but able to see the reverie in Peter’s. He didn’t say anything, he simply ran his fingers over the edge – the glow of it reflecting in those big, beautiful brown eyes. Tony gathered Peter up for a kiss after that, his hands demanding in the way they tugged – the press of their lips just on the border of desperate. He let a hand get tangled in the length of Peter’s hair while the other slipped between them to tug on the close of tight jeans

It took them another few minutes to break away from the kiss to get the rest of the way naked. Tony was content to let his fingers explore and dip under the parts of Peter’s pants that were loose enough to wiggle passed. They found a pretty easy rhythm and thrust against each other – the slight friction just enough to edge off the desperation. Peter eventually tore himself away, Tony’s eyes peeled in excitement watching the man’s chest heave. Those hands Tony let himself become familiar with during their time in the lab went to undo his pants first. He lifted his hips and let Peter pull boxer-briefs and jeans down all at once, Tony suddenly naked and the most vulnerable he’d been in a long time. His face and neck filled with color, the rest of the blood in his system battling between heading towards his dick or his brain – the quick rush of it to the pit of his stomach saying his dick won fair and square. Sucking in a harsh breath in an attempt to calm down, Tony felt it punched from his lungs a second later – Peter was off the bed just long enough to strip off his remaining clothing and rejoin him naked as the day he was born.

Tony’s eager fingers fumbled over all the skin they could – Peter’s flawless muscle definition creating divots in his path. A low moan slipped from his throat when he felt the ripple of abs under his fingers. He spent a couple extra moments paying homage to the muscle bellies he could feel, each twitching under the attention of his finger. Reaching his final destination, Tony cupped Peter’s cock in his hand. The man was well defined in all aspects, his penis long and thick, the best kind of weight in his hand. Tony didn’t spend much time exploring, the pants against his lips and cheek were too much – eager fingers wrapped around Pete’s length and found a steady rhythm. Watching Pete thrust into the tight fist of his hand was easily one of the hottest things he’d experienced to date – though he wouldn’t have the picture of Peter bending him in half until a little while later.

The teasing continued, Tony’s palm glanced the head of Peter’s cock and he felt the slick moisture there – a steady trail of precum leaked deliciously from it. “I can’t wait to know what it feels like to have this in me,” Tony mumbled, his lips breaking from Peter’s to say the words. The huff he got in response made his skin tingle. Peter pulled away and looked at him hungrily. They shared a silent conversation and then Tony was pointing over his head. “There’s lube in the drawer,” Tony said, his voice laced with a pant. His entire body felt flush and on edge. Every limb pulsed with energy and ached to be wrapped around Peter – he wanted to swallow him up and keep him, Tony already knowing they were the best when together.

It turned out Peter wasn’t much of a tease when his own arousal started to become too much. His prep of Tony wasn’t rushed, though he didn’t spend too much time trying to finesse it, either. The first finger had them moaning together – Tony enjoying the feeling of fullness, Peter totally undone by the warmth around him. One turned to two and on a particularly good turn of his wrist, Peter pressed against Tony’s prostate and had him groaning out. A couple more passes across that sensitive area had Tony grabbing the back of Peter’s head and pressing their lips together in a heated kiss, “If you don’t fuck me right now, I’ll finish without you,” Tony’s words blistering hot against Peter’s lips. Tony knew Peter was a smart man and was further proven so when he pulled his fingers out and used the leftover lube to coat his cock. He watched a flush spread over Peter’s chest as one stroke to spread the lube became too many. Teeth cut into that plump lower lip, probably hard enough to draw blood.

One of the things Tony liked the most about Peter thrusting home was the strength of it. The subtle reminders of the superhuman strength the other man possessed were always enough to set his skin ablaze. In all the time experimenting and putting their suits together, Tony appreciated the instances he got to see Peter’s skill the most. The fight between them was always pretty fair, regardless of the fact that Peter fought with his fists, speed, and cleverly crafted web fluid and Tony flew around and had weapons at his disposal. There were so many things Tony liked about Peter, but the raw strength ranked high on the list. He forced himself to relax, Peter’s gentle but firm thrust helping in all the right ways. The feeling of the other settling and their bodies being joined together almost had Tony coming – but he held off. The look of pure hunger and desperate lust in Peter’s eyes made him too excited to see what was to come.

Peter stayed upright and held Tony’s thighs in his hands while he thrust – the visual of it just as tantalizing as the press of a perfect cock first inside him and then against that place that made him see stars. Tony absentmindedly let his fingers run down the washboard of Peter’s abs – the thrusts of his hips making the muscle tighten and clench. The fingers holding his thighs were going to leave marks, their grip rough – keeping him steady to be the perfect target for the thrusts that increased in intensity with every passing second. Peter looked like a vision with sweat dripping down his brow and the side of his cheek – the hair falling into his eyes heavy with it. The next time they did this, Tony wanted to spend time documenting all the tiny details – the man thrusting into him genuinely too good looking for his own good. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to in that moment – his entire body felt like it was floating and each press against his prostate brought him closer and closer to the edge.

The peak of their coupling snuck up on both men – Tony’s toes curling with the pleasure of it, Peter’s eyes closing and thrusts speeding up until they were frenzied, each one more out of sync than the last. Coming untouched was a marvel idea for Tony – when he felt the splash of his release hit his stomach, he gasped in surprise, the force of his orgasm dragging Peter’s name from his lips in a breathy scream. He desperately tried to find purchase on the sweat soaked skin surrounding him – if not, he just might float away. Peter came not even a minute later, his upper body coming down to press hard into Tony’s chest – the man biting a solid chunk of the trap on his right side. “Fuck, Tony,” Peter gasped against his skin, the words almost as hot as the splash of cum Tony could feel deep within him. Pleasure personified.

It was easy to fall into the mattress together after that. Tony laid flat against it and wrapped Peter up tightly against his side, the younger man’s head pillowed on his chest. They laid there swirling into and out of consciousness for what seemed like a while. Tony thoroughly enjoying the floaty feeling of his limbs and the contrasting solid weight against his chest. His fingers made paths across Peter’s back and shoulders – there and back, the smooth skin divine to the touch.

\---- 

The glow of being together lasted a whole fourteen days. They worked diligently to work out the last few kinks and bugs to complete the suit. The test flight Tony flew went amazingly well – he tested the length of the arc reactor and luckily had a partner out there with him ready to catch him when he came plummeting back down to the earth – the armor frozen from its ride through the different parts of the atmosphere. Peter touched him down on the edge of the cliff closest to Tony’s place and ripped off his mask. “That was fucking amazing! You disappeared from sight and then came plummeting out of the clouds. Coolest shit ever, Tony,” Peter said through his excitement, a huge smile on his face. It was a joyous occasion – the suit was well built and could fly (Tony could fucking fly!) There was no telling how well it’d do in a fight but Tony trusted Jarvis’s skill and his own mechanical expertise. Between him and Peter, every part of the suit had been checked, rechecked, and then crafted with the utmost precision.

Confrontation came in the form of a threat – Tony’s opposition finally showing his ugly face. He’d been waiting for Peter to show up for the last ten minutes. The kid was pretty good about being timely and seemed to like to be with Tony for the most part, anyway. It wasn’t like him to not show up. The doorbell ringing had Tony looking around him in panic – for the first time, a thought that something bad might have gotten ahold of Peter entering his mind. “Jarvis, is there anyone actually at the door?” Tony asked, his hands clenching into fists. “It does not appear so, sir. There seems to be something sitting in front of it, though – a letter, or small envelope, maybe.” Another shot of panic ran through him – there were no planned Stark Industries deliveries and any mail for the house was put in the neighborhood box half a mile away. Gritting his teeth, he went to the front door to open it and found a white letter envelope with his name on the back.

When he got it open, Tony felt his mouth dry – the message could only be from one person.

**_“You took the company, what I cared about the most, from me. Now, I’ll take what you care about the most from you.”_ **

The message was attached to a picture of Peter walking into his apartment complex – the photographer capturing his facial features perfectly. Only one person on the planet thought Tony took the company from him – Obadiah Stane. He’d been a big part of his father’s team when the man was younger and stood in as head of the company until Tony came of age. The empire was his to inherit and when he turned 21, he took what was rightfully his. Trying to keep the peace with Obadiah didn’t work out and they quickly parted. For the most part, Tony didn’t hear a peep from the man. Of course, he knew the corporate big wig went right to Stark Industries’ main competition at Ozcorp, but there hadn’t been much of a fallout. It all made sense, though. The fact that the building was blown up with his own explosives, that he’d been given all of this time after the attack. Obie was bidding his time – waiting to see what Tony’s next move was.

The only advantage they had in the situation was the fact that Peter was Spider-Man and his identity outside of the mask was completely separate. “Jarvis, will you call Peter, please?” Tony said absentmindedly. The call connected after two rings – “Tony – are you okay?” Peter’s voice sounded worried, the pitch a bit higher than usual. “I didn’t come that way because I felt people following me. I got caught up talking to a professor and didn’t get up to the roof like I normally do. I had to walk home and had a tail on me the second I left campus,” Peter continued, the strain in his voice making Tony’s stomach clench. What if Peter wasn’t who he was? He would’ve been in a terrible amount of danger. Shaking his head, he forced himself to focus on the call. “I’m fine and I’m glad you’re okay. I was worried when you didn’t show up. I got a threatening note and figured you stayed put for a reason. Do you think they’re still watching you, or could you get here?”

When they hung up, Tony paced anxiously back and forth, the picture of Peter clenched tightly in his hand. Now he knew who he was dealing with, Tony needed to give the man another opportunity to come at him – the perfect misdirection for a planned attack from him and Peter – Iron Man and Spider-Man. Tony still smiled every time they called the suit Iron Man – Peter’s creative naming something that made the suit truly special. He let out a sigh of relief when he heard Jarvis open the door of the garage – Peter’s upgraded suit a thing of grace and excellence when Pete bound into the shop wearing it. “Damn, we did good work on that thing. How are the new web shooters?” Tony asked, his brain momentarily distracted from the daunting task at hand. “Amazing. I haven’t swung so seamlessly the entire time I’ve been doing this shit,” Peter responded honestly, his mask coming off despite the rest of the suit staying on.

In the end, they decided to bait the next attack by having a press conference at Stark Industries. The piece of tech that helped attach the suit to Tony and the arc reactor could be moved into the lab there – and when Tony made his entrance, it would be as Iron Man and not Tony Stark. He figured Obie wouldn’t strike with the same weapon twice, so they prepared for everything that could possibly be thrown their way. Peter would be watching from above the commotion, checking to make sure explosives were not the name of this game. Wouldn’t it be something – having Stark Industries blown up by a Stark Industries weapon? It took a little bit of convincing to get Pepper and Happy on board – but the plan quickly came to a head and all of the pieces were on the board and ready to move.

The night before the press conference was scheduled to take place, Tony and Peter were pressed together in the lab, the two of them going over last minute plans, making sure that Jarvis was compatible with both their suits and prepared for each and every one of their battle plans. The AI reminded them the lateness of the hour not long later and Tony reluctantly pulled Peter up the stairs into his bedroom. He didn’t want to think about what not winning would mean, all of their plans were sound and for the most part – Tony felt confident. Yet, he couldn’t fight with the part of him that just wanted to pull Peter close to him and keep him there. No words were shared while they showered together. Each took turns washing the other, Tony content to be able to smell himself all over Peter’s skin when they eventually tumbled onto the bed together and settled under the sheets. Though the man was much stronger than Tony, he fit perfectly in the embrace of his arms, his thin frame heavily muscled, but so easy to tuck into all the right curves and nooks of Tony’s frame.

He pressed a handful of kisses against Pete’s neck and used the hand tossed over the man’s side to pull him close. “I love you, Pete. Tomorrow is about keeping us both safe. So don’t do anything stupid, okay?” Tony whispered. The low tone of his voice didn’t damper the magnitude of his words and the room stayed quiet for a second. He counted Peter’s breaths, each inhale and exhale until he felt the rumble of words from deep in his chest. “I love you too, Tony. I won’t if you promise the same. I think we both know we’ll do whatever we need to to keep the other safe. Let’s just kick ass and get this over with.” Pete didn’t say anything else after that, he simply pulled Tony’s arm closer and relaxed into the mattress. Tony sat in the silence for a few minutes longer, his eyes burning from sleepiness and anxiety – though he felt himself easily lulled into oblivion by the steady rise and fall of Peter’s breath.

They stayed tangled up like that for the rest of the night.

\----

The idea of going up against the power of another arc reactor never crossed either of their minds. When Peter first saw the shine of it in Obadiah’s suit – he just about shit himself. The kidnapping attempt didn’t have anything to do with Tony – not really, anyway. The notes for Tony’s speech were the last thing on anyone’s mind and couldn’t have possibly been the main target. In the end – it all made sense. Obadiah was the one to convince Tony’s father that the arc reactor technology wasn’t worth pursuing and he was now trying to take the man’s legacy down with it. What a cosmic joke. Peter bid his time, the suit they’d created standing up to the other tech well. Peter was the surprise at the end and showing himself too soon would ruin whatever edge they had on the man.

Peter watched with pride while Tony flew around Obie – the grey suit a second-rate attempt at the glory of the red and gold flying through the sky. Peter made a joke about Tony’s ass a couple seconds before they started matching colors to the armor. Jarvis simply stated how nice the red blush looked on Tony’s skin and suddenly – the originally gold colored suit became gold and red. It was fitting and made the genius in the sky look badass and stunning all at once. Tony’s maneuvers were well timed and obviously trained – the light suit perfect for the type of attack Tony seemed to like. Where Obie’s suit lacked in finesse, it made up for it in fire power. Peter stopped himself a couple times when Tony took big hits from the rockets souring out of Obie’s suit – but he always got up and managed to get the upper hand.

The need to step in came when the damn right boot took a hit and started to splutter. They were high in the sky and a fall from there would be a disaster for Tony. Shooting a web to one of the higher beams on the Stark Industries building, Peter went soaring into the air, his eyes sharply focused on the right side of Tony’s suit. Thankfully, it started to work full thrust again, but he’d been seen by Obie. The next thing he knew, there was a huge rocket coming his direction. A quick jump had him out of the way of the sleuthing weapon – though, the clunky silver suit was moving in on him quickly. He swung a couple of times – the space to roam limited where he landed. It looked like he was getting closed in on and then a shot from Tony’s thrusters hit Obie’s shoulder and his attention was on the other man once again.

Peter watched with wide eyes as Tony flew up into the sky – that first flight test coming back to the forefront of his mind. What a clever fucking human, Peter thought, his eyes flashing with his next step. Carefully watching above him, Peter spotted Tony’s suit falling first and then a second later, the big silver suit. He swung until he was in a good spot to get Tony out of the sky enough to have the suit kick start again. The force of catching Tony from that distance made him let out a grunt – a huge bruise that wouldn’t go away in just a couple hours would probably mare his skin later. It was worth it, though. The second he felt Tony’s suit come to life again, Peter was moving – several of his webs getting shot out in quick succession until the silver suit was wrapped up. A final few had him immobile against the wall of Stark’s building. He kept hitting the collection of web fluid with more and more – making sure the bonds were secure. Satisfied, he looked over his shoulder and nodded. Tony floated effortlessly in front of the suit held captive and at their mercy under tons of Peter’s creation. He said nothing as Tony’s glove settled around the silver suit’s arc reactor unit and tugged – the unit powering down the second the energy source was removed.

The most satisfaction from that evening came when Peter watched the bald man getting packed into the police car. He was shouting over his shoulder, yielding threats – but they were unheard. The media would portray him as a mad man, the wild look in his eyes perfect for whatever bad guy campaign they wanted to run with. A bruised-up Tony settled up to Pete’s side, the man slumping against him – into his arms for all the world to see. They stayed geared up in their suits until the media circus of a huge public fight became too much. Making sure Obie was secure, Jarvis let them into the side of the building where Tony could get unassembled and changed. They appeared distraught by the doors a few minutes later, the only other ones wise to the situation sequestered away, probably dealing with the media. The first click of the camera pointed in their direction caught a snap of Tony pressing a kiss to the side of Peter’s head, the two men in an obviously close position. If Tony was going to announce to the world that Peter was his, well – he couldn’t think of a better way of going about it.

They made the headlines for the next week – the genuine look of affection and concern on Tony’s face with Peter in his arms the talk of the media nation.

Peter kept a piece of the very first write up on his person at all times, Tony’s statement one of his favorites.

_[We got to talk to Tony Stark about Stark Industries and the young man that he was pictured with after an attack on the building from Obadiah Stane – the company’s ex-CEO. When asked how the young man tamed the wild Tony Stark, the billionaire got a little misty eyed. “Peter saved my life. In the most obvious way – “ The interviewer noted here that Tony tapped his chest, right over the arc reactor. “and in a lot of other ways, too. He’s focus, intelligence, patience, and strength wrapped up together in a beautiful package. The perfect partner. He’s the direction I’ve always needed.”]_

After Obie, Peter got to finish college in peace and join Tony in all ways. He secured a job with Stark Industries as Tony’s equal and they expanded the house on the cliff to include a bigger lab and training area for Iron Man and Spider-Man to train inconspicuously. With things more settled, Peter’s favorite moments can be shared patrols and the ease in which they work together.

Perfect partners, indeed.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for sticking around! I'd love to know what you think about this little origin story change up. I've already got some ideas of how to incorporate some of the others - but would love to know what you guys think! 
> 
> I'm about halfway through the next Thunderstruck update, so be on the lookout for that, too! 
> 
> Prompts and requests are always a welcome thing - stop by the comments and leave me an idea or simply say hello! I love to hear from you guys. 
> 
> Y'all are the best! 
> 
> Stay classy AO3.


End file.
